Crossroads
by CottageCheese6535
Summary: In which a choice is made, a truth is revealed, and root beer floats are shared. AU (Based on the Netflix series.)
1. Prologue

**A/N - Hello, my name is Lemony Snicket. I am sure you are wondering why, instead of your normally scheduled programing, a phrase which here means 'next chapter of a story that has already begun', you are instead met with the greeting of an infamous author, and the first chapter of a new story.**

 **The author has asked me to apologize on her behalf, as she is currently in the long, tedious process of watching, rewatching, and crying over the third season of an award winning television series, the identity of which shall remain undisclosed.**

 **She has also requested that I take into consideration the rapidly-thinning patience of her audience, and proceed with the telling of her story.**

 **Disclaimer - No rights were obtained in the telling of this story.**

If one thing could be said about the Baudelaire children, it would most likely be that they were extremely unfortunate, a phrase which here means 'met at every turn with murderers, arsonists, and unhelpful bankers.'

Indeed, it seemed that no matter where they traveled, be it a mountain, an ocean, a carnival, a lumber mill, even a school, nowhere would be safe for the Baudelaires.

Be it a helpful waiter, a courageous librarian, or several different taxi drivers, no matter how well intentioned or equiped, no adult seemed to stay with them for long. Every friend they made, every ally they met were left behind, or they did the leaving.

The only man who stayed with them, through every problem, every disaster, every despicable plot was the only man they were trying to rid themselves of, the nefarious Count Olaf.

A man who, at the moment this story begins, was hiding himself in several nearby hedges attempting to flee the scene of a crime. Ironically, a word which means 'funnily enough', this was the first crime in a long time he did not purposely commit.

One might call it a 'joint-crime', as it was accomplished with the unintentional aid of the three Baudelaire children, who were, at the moment this story begins, facing a difficult moral decision.

They had been presented with two choices, both of which would lead down very different roads.

The promise of Count Olaf behind bars, and a happy life with a kind woman, unburdened by fear or loss. But a promise can be broken.

The offer of a life on the lam, in the company of a morose, presumed dead reporter, never able to return to their lives. But they would be safe.

The Baudelaire children were at a crossroads. Figuratively backed into a corner.

Justice Strauss awaited them with open arms, flanked by two officers of the law, making a promise she couldn't keep.

The last Snicket cast a warm gaze over them, a battered taxi behind him, a long-awaited truth threatening to spill from his lips.

Violet thought of their guardians.

Klaus remembered their parents.

Sunny bit her lip.

If one thing could be said about the Baudelaires, it would be that they were intelligent and resourceful children, and certainly not ignorant or dull. Not the sort of children to make stupid mistakes, and not the sort of people to make wrong choices.

But often, in situations such as this, there is no wrong answer. Much like a difficult choice, a written essay can never be wrong. For example, an essay describing the effects of consuming live butterflies could explain the harmful effects of such an action, and warn the reader from attempting it. But at the same time, another essay could be written, explaining the benefits of hiding your research specimens in a hard to reach location, such as one's stomach.

The essay will not be graded on the personal opinion of the author, the opinion is the whole point of the essay. It will be graded on proper grammar and research, so as long as proper punctuation is present, there is no wrong answer.

No wrong answer.

And so Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire got into the taxi with Lemony Snicket.

Klaus let Sunny take the window seat, directly behind their new guardian. Sunny had a perfect view of Justice Strauss, who was very white in the face and seemed to be very close to feinting. The police officers she had found were rushing to their vehicles in anticipation of a chase, leaving the woman standing alone by the edge of the pond.

Sunny waved her fist and said something that might have been a goodbye.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N - Hi, it's me this time. So** _ **technically**_ **I'm supposed to be posting the next chapter of You're a What? but I'm just kind of stuck on that right now, so I started writing this instead. Don't, worry, that fic will be updated soon, I'm just really into this fandom right now.**

Not a great many people have been on the wrong side of a police chase in their lives. Those who have are usually either bank robbers, arsonists, murderers, or a delightful mix of the three. Those who have not are usually brilliant inventors, clever researchers, or aspiring chefs. Unfortunately, all three of these kinds of people, along with a strange man they had just met and did not yet trust, had ended up on the wrong side of a police chase with nowhere to go and no one to go to, which is a very upsetting way to begin a story, or a police chase.

Violet Baudelaire held onto her brother tightly, and her brother held onto their baby sister, who was holding onto the door handle and reminding herself to not bite anything important. Lemony Snicket held onto the steering wheel of the car tightly, knuckles white as he gripped it with all his strength. He continuously glanced into the rearview mirror, hardly daring to believe whose children he had in the backseat.

Snicket twisted the wheel every direction he could think of, pushing the taxi to its limits, crashing through hedges and breaking at least nine traffic laws in his attempt to lose he and the Baudelaire's pursuers.

The taxi rounded a particularly sharp corner, a phrase which here means 'it nearly capsized as it sped around a small house'. Snicket almost said something unbecoming for a man of his articulatory prowess, but then glanced into the rearview mirror once again and remembered he was in the company of children.

After rounding the particularly sharp corner, Klaus, after peeling himself off of the floor of the taxi (he had not been wearing a seatbelt), looked out the back window of the car and noticed that they were no longer being followed.

"They've stopped!" he exclaimed, sharing a joyful look with his older sister. "We've lost them!"

"You can slow down now, ," Violet told the man in the front seat, after making Klaus put on his seatbelt and checking to make sure Sunny had not bitten anything. "Thank you for letting us come with you." she added, remembering to be polite.

Snicket seemed to not have heard Violet, instead continuing to travel at dangerously high speeds down a long and winding road, which is the name of a song, and also an expression that refers to the lengthy and difficult path we all travel down in life, and also the road the taxi happened to be speeding down.

"Mr. Snicket?" said Violet, cautiously extending a hand. She found that she could not reach the unresponsive man's shoulder from where she sat, so she quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed into the seat next to Snicket's, ignoring Klaus' protests.

She had just buckled her seatbelt again when Snicket jerked the wheel and took the taxi around another particularly sharp corner.

"Sir?" said Violet, placing a light hand on the man's shoulder. Snicket flinched violently as Violet touched him, a fact that he would deny for years to come.

Violet quickly withdrew her hand and stared at Snicket, frowning in worry at his strange behavior. His eyes jumped between her and the road, and with a start she realized he was waiting for her to continue.

"You can slow down now, they've stopped following us," she told him gently. Snicket made an odd jerking motion with his head that might have been a nod, then slowly, painfully, lifted his foot off of the pedal, where it had been figuratively stuck throughout the whole ordeal.

Snicket let the car coast down the road, steering it around the many bends they encountered and watching carefully for any suspicious figures they might encounter, and doing his best to ignore the children he had promised to keep safe.

It was in this fashion that they arrived at a motel on the outskirts of the city, a dinky, dreary place half collapsed into the dirt. Klaus had attempted to speak up several times during the ride, but each time he had opened his mouth, his words died in his throat before he could speak them.

Snicket parked the car and took his hands off the wheel, shutting off the headlights and plunging them into darkness. He opened his mouth and turned to look at Violet, then back at Klaus and Sunny, but didn't seem to have anything to say. He turned back around and cleared his throat, managing a soft "Follow me," before exiting the taxi.

Violet quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed out of the taxi, watching Snicket as he fiddled with the lock on a door a little ways away from their car. She turned away and opened the door for Klaus, who was holding Sunny.

"We can trust him, right?" asked Klaus as he set down Sunny. "We haven't just made a huge mistake?"

"He's a Snicket, and all the Snicket's we've met have been trustworthy so far," Violet replied, walking around the car towards the trunk. "Do you think he has any luggage?"

"Kit," said Sunny, tugging on Klaus' pant leg.

"Sunny's right," said Klaus, resting his hand on Sunny's shoulder. "This is Kit's taxi, not his. He won't have anything in the trunk."

Violet nodded, then glanced back at Snicket. As she watched, he managed to get the motel door open, quickly disappearing inside.

"Come on," said Violet, rounding the taxi and taking Sunny's hand. "We shouldn't keep him waiting."

Klaus followed his sisters across the parking lot and into the motel, hoping that Snicket had payed for the room, but knowing that it was most likely stolen. Still, if he and his sisters could sleep in a bed tonight, he wouldn't mind.

As he crossed the threshold, Klaus immediately noticed that there were absolutely no belongings in the room at all, and mentally sighed as he realized that this room was, in fact, stolen.

The next thing he noticed was that there was only one bed.

Snicket seemed to have realized the problem too, as he was currently making a bed for himself on the couch. He noticed Klaus watching him and said "Could you close the door please? And the curtains? There is a great need for caution at times like these."

Klaus quickly did as he was told, shutting and locking the door and closing the curtains, making sure no gaps remained.

"Are you certain you don't mind taking the couch?" asked Violet, setting Sunny onto the bed. "You could have the bed, and Klaus and Sunny could sleep on the couch."

She paused. "I could take some pillows and sleep on the floor." she added as an afterthought.

Snicket shook his head. He seemed much more relaxed now, much more at home in the cramped, dimly lit space. "I would be a terrible guardian indeed if I took such a large bed for myself and forced a child to sleep on a cold, dusty floor." he said.

"No floor," agreed Sunny, bouncing slightly on the bed. "Payama?"

Snicket paused in the process of taking a pillow from the bed for himself and looked at Klaus, unsure of what Sunny was asking.

"She's wondering if we have any clothes to wear to bed besides these," translated Klaus, picking at the sleeve of his disguise, uncomfortable with the thought of asking Snicket for anything. "It's alright that you don't, we don't mind."

That wasn't entirely true, as Sunny definitely preferred her soft pajamas over her current attire. It was much too formal and stiff for the young girl, but she knew better than to complain. They had slept in their uniforms the night before, after all.

Snicket obviously didn't like the idea of his three companions sleeping in such uncomfortable clothes, but he had none of his belongings with him and it wasn't yet safe to go out and buy the Baudelaires some less conspicuous outfits.

"I'm sorry that I can't provide you with anything at the moment, Baudelaires, but in the morning I'm sure I can find a dinky, dreary place that sells clothing for children of all ages," said Snicket, placing a hand on his chin in contemplation. "In fact, I think I might have passed one on my way to the Hotel."

Violet smiled at the man. "Thank you very much, Mr. Snicket," she said, taking off her hat. "Is there anything we can do for you in return? I'm certain that I could think of some way to improve the engine of your taxi."

"And I think I've read a book somewhere about ways to make clothing out of everyday objects, perhaps I could make some instead of you having to buy them?" suggested Klaus.

"Cook!" shrieked Sunny exitibly, bouncing up and down on the bed, thinking of all the meals she could prepare as a thank you.

A small smile was beginning to spread across the man's face, the first the children had seen. "Thank you very, very much Baudelaires," said Snicket, something that sounded like happiness creeping into his voice. "I would be happy to let help you fix the car, make clothes, and cook meals, but I'm afraid that before we do any of those things, we all need to recuperate, a word which here means 'go to bed and wake up at dawn feeling well-rested'."

"I thought it meant 'to recover from illness or exertion'?" Klaus asked, beginning to like the man more and more.

"Yes, that too."


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N - Holy shit this is angsty. Just a quick warning, if you have experienced sleep paralysis and you don't want to read about it, you can just skip to the end. I've personally never had it before, but I tried to write how I thought it might go. I did a little research, so hopefully it's accurate.**

When Violet awakened in the dark, dark motel room, she awakened from a nightmare. Now, usually in forms of media such as books, movies, or television series, when someone awakens from a nightmare, it is often accompanied by the unfortunate victim finding themselves sitting straight up in bed, panting and gasping for breath, and sometimes an unhealthy amount of tears rolling down their face.

Violet experienced none of those things. As a matter of fact, she found that she wasn't capable of anything at the moment. Her eyes were open, and she could see the ceiling of the motel room, and she could sense Sunny and Klaus laying next to her in the large bed, but she couldn't _do_ anything. She couldn't move.

 _She couldn't move._

This was when Violet felt an unhealthy amount of tears begin to roll down her face, because this was what her nightmare was about. Laying in bed, unable to move. Knowing that Klaus and Sunny were somewhere nearby, but having no way to reach out to them. They were _right there_. She couldn't see them, but she knew they were there.

 _She couldn't move._

Violet tried to move something, _anything,_ a finger, a toe, but she just couldn't. She barely managed a twitch. She struggled to make a sound, but she couldn't, there was tape over her mouth.

No, that was before. This was now.

That was before, this was now.

The tears were coming full force now, streaming down the sides of her face as she struggled to make a sound, to wake Klaus, to wake Sunny, to summon help so she could escape. She needed to get out before they came back.

 _She couldn't move._

Violet heard a small whimper, shaky and high pitched, almost inaudible. She heard it again, then realized the desperate sobs came from her.

 _Klaus...I need help...please…_ she tried to say, through her imaginary gag. _Please…_

What she said instead was "Kl-s...he-p...hel-p…"

"Violet?"

Violet sucked in a sharp breath through her nose. That wasn't Klaus. It was him, he was back, she couldn't get away in time, she needed to get out, but she couldn't, she was trapped, and she couldn't move.

Then a figure was looming over her, shrouded in shadows, face a black blur in the dark.

 _No...not again...Klaus...Sunny…_

"Nnn...Kl-s...Sn-uy…"

He was leaning over her, to threaten her, to show her his sharp instruments, or to strap the mask to her face again, to make her fall asleep. She needed to get Klaus and Sunny. She needed them.

 _She couldn't move._

"Violet, please. I need you to calm down. You need to breath."

It wasn't him. It was Snicket. Just Snicket. Violet could see his face, kind eyes and messy hair, brows scrunched in worry and confusion, mouth open in an dark circle of helplessness. His hands were raised slightly, hovering over her still form, as if he wanted to help but he wasn't sure if he could, or if he should.

"Violet, can you move?" he asked her quietly, recognizing the eldest Baudelaire's dilemma as sleep paralysis, a condition his beloved had once suffered from, many years ago.

 _I can't move...wake up Klaus...I need him…_

"Ca-t...Kl-s…" Violet begged, blinking away her tears and her visions, desperate to see only Snicket above her, and not the menacing figure dressed in dirty white.

Snicket nodded, understanding that she wanted her brother's help, not the help of a strange man she had just met. He left Violet's side and went to Klaus', gently placing a hand on the young boy's shoulder.

Klaus, being a very light sleeper (a life on the lam can do that to someone) instantly opened his eyes and sat up in bed, already throwing off his covers. His legs made it all the way over the side of the bed before he realized it wasn't Violet that was waking him, but Lemony Snicket, the odd taxi driver.

"What's going on?" he whispered, slightly suspicious.

"Your sister asked me to wake you," said Snicket, keeping his voice low so as not to wake the baby. "She's frozen, and she seemed to think you would know what to do."

Klaus' face paled at the word frozen. He rushed out of bed and to Violet's side, narrowly avoiding the concerned volunteer in his haste. Violet was laying on her back, stiff as a board, mouth tightly shut, and eyes wide open in terror, dripping tears. Muffled sobs escaped her as she lay there, and Klaus could almost see the leather straps tying her wrists and ankles to the creaky mattress and the mask on her face keeping her asleep…

"Kl-s!"

Klaus jumped. His sister was here, in this motel, and she needed him. Violet got "stuck" in her sleep fairly often back home, but this was the first time it had happened since the fire. His parents had always known what to do to help her, but he had watched them a couple of times, worried for Violet. Klaus hoped he could remember what to do.

"Okay, Violet, calm down. You need to slow your breathing," said Klaus, remembering his father's words. "Watch me." he began to take exaggerated breaths, making sure to puff out his chest and make them as visible as possible. Violet did her best, sucking in rattling, painful breaths, struggling to slow down.

"Close your fists," said Klaus, remembering his mother. "Squeeze them, pretend you're getting ready to punch someone." a smile danced across his face, then disappeared as he saw Violet's hands twitch.

"C-ca-t…" said his sister, sobbing even harder.

"You can Violet!" said Klaus, taking her hand in his. "You can do anything. You're the smartest, most courageous person I know."

Klaus gave Violet's hand a light squeeze. "Come on. You're not there. You're here. Squeeze my hand." he whispered.

She did. Softly at first, then harder, then she was grasping her brother's hand with all of her strength, and then she shot up in bed, clutching her chest and gasping for breath. Klaus let go of her hand, then wrapped his arms around his sister in a hug.

"Klaus, I was there again," she said, remembering her nightmare. "At the hospital. Only everything was different. You never came, and they just…" she closed her eyes, thinking back to her dreadful nightmare.

"They just _kept_ me there, Klaus. It doesn't sound so bad, but it was. I was there for years, and I never got out. You took Sunny and left, or maybe they got you too. Either way, I never saw you again." she remembered, hugging her knees to her chest.

"Violet…"

"I died there, Klaus." she finished, looking up at him with unshed tears in her eyes. "I _died_ there. After years and years."

"Vi?" came a small, tired voice from beside Violet. It was Sunny, finally awake, rubbing her eyes and yawning. "Okay?"

"Of course I am, Sunny," said Violet, suddenly self-conscious. She had been sobbing! In front of Klaus, and in front of Mr. Snicket. Over a stupid dream. Her cheeks reddened. Violet quickly wiped away her tears. "Go back to sleep."

Sunny seemed to consider this for a moment. Then she shook her head, firmly stating her displeasure of the idea by climbing into Violet's lap and resting her head on her shoulder. "Stuck?" she sleepily questioned her big sister, already falling back asleep.

"Yeah," said Violet, avoiding eye contact with Klaus and Mr. Snicket. "I got stuck again."

She felt the bed sag slightly and looked up in surprise to see that Klaus had climbed back into bed, settling under the thin blanket. Klaus noticed Violet's gaze, and simply smiled. Then he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Only Snicket was left awake now. He had been standing off to the side throughout the whole ordeal, watching the Baudelaires and feeling horrified at the terrible things they had suffered through. He looked at Violet, sitting on the bed with Sunny asleep on her shoulder and Klaus feigning sleep beside her, and he grieved.

He grieved for the loss of innocence.

He grieved for the loss of childhood.

And he grieved for the loss of Beatrice.

And then his expression hardened. He had to protect these children. Not just for her, but for them. Not just to remember a love shattered by circumstance, but to provide love to those who needed it now.

Lemony had always loved her.

But now he needed to save them.

 **A/N - I warned you.**

 **Also, please don't mistake Klaus and Violet's relationship as romantic. That's a little gross. It's totally familial. Honestly if you ship them (along with Olaf/Violet) you're probably a little messed up. No offense, but** _ **come on**_ **people.**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N - First of all, sorry to *** _ **squints***_ " **Klioet Shipper"** **for offending them with my dislike for the shipping of siblings Klaus and Violet Baudelaire. As a big sister myself, it's a little disturbing for me, but to each their own, I guess.**

When the Baudelaires woke up, it was in varying degrees of awareness, a phrase which here means "Violet woke up quickly and fell out of bed, Klaus sat up in bed breathing heavily, and Sunny slowly opened her eyes and wondered what was for breakfast."

Lemony Snicket was sitting on the couch, his briefcase in his lap. When he noticed his wards had awakened, he stood up and brushed off his suit, smoothing out the wrinkles, and said: "We can't stay here for too much longer, I'm afraid."

Klaus got out of bed and helped Violet up. "Where will we go? Do you have a home?"

"Kitchen!" said Sunny, which meant something like " _If you do have a home, I hope it comes with a fully stocked kitchen. I'm starving!"_

"What my sister means is we haven't eaten since...a few days ago?" said Violet, scratching the back of her neck as she tried to remember when she and her siblings had last sat down and eaten a full, three-course meal.

"I think we had something on Fiona's submarine," said Klaus, putting on his glasses. "Remember? Sunny and Phil made something."

"Not gum!" elaborated Sunny.

"To answer your first question," interrupted Snicket. "I do not have a place to live where I pay money to a landlord or bank, as I've been on the lam for quite some time. However, before we worry about any of these less important questions, I think that we should first visit a diner or other establishment in the business of preparing food."

"What about our uniforms?" asked Klaus. "Last night you told us that you noticed a dinky, dreary place that sells clothing for children of all ages on your way to the Hotel Denouement."

"Payama." agreed Sunny.

"First we'll eat, then we'll find some less conspicuous outfits for all of us," said Snicket. "Conspicuous is a word which means 'easy to spot and steal a fortune from.'"

"We know what 'conspicuous' means."

Snicket turned away to hide his growing smile and opened the door, ushering the Baudelaires outside and into the taxi. It was still quite dark outside, which made it difficult to buckle their seatbelts, but they managed.

Soon, they were speeding down the road, a motel behind them and a sunrise before them.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Snicket returned to him and the Baudelaire's booth bearing gifts. More specifically, he was carrying three rootbeer floats on a tray, along with a carrot for Sunny. He set it down carefully on the table in front of the Baudelaire's, who were all sitting on the same side, and slid into the opposite bench.

Violet handed Sunny her carrot and Klaus his float, then took her own. "Thank you very much, Mr. Snicket."

Snicket held up his hand. "Please, I insist you call me Lemony. Mr. Snicket it much too formal for my tastes."

"Okay," said Klaus. "Lemony. After we finish here and go and find new clothes, what then? Count Olaf is still out there, and he always finds us."

"Funcoot." agreed Sunny.

"I can assure you, Baudelaires, he won't find you with me," said Lemony, taking a sip of his rootbeer. "I've been on the lam for more years than you are old, and I've had very few incidents."

"Yes, but he's relentless, and we've never been with you before," argued Klaus. "He wants our fortune more than anything."

"Klaus," said Violet, looking out the window.

"I am very practiced, and I know all sorts of different ways to hide from villainous characters," said Lemony.

"I'm sure you do, but you can't know for sure that he won't find us."

"Klaus!"

"What?" snapped Klaus. Violet was staring out the window, pointing at something in the parking lot. Klaus followed her finger all the way to the back of the lot. There, behind a big pickup truck and in between two motorcycles, was Count Olaf's car.

Lemony threw down a few dollars on the table and then grabbed Violet and Klaus, hauling them out of their seats. He then snatched Sunny and thrust her into Klaus' arms, ignoring the young girl's protests that she could walk perfectly well, thank you very much.

"Follow me," he said, back to his mumbly, quiet self. "Quickly."


End file.
